Jimmy Shubert

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Comedian Jimmy Shubert was born and raised in Philadelphia, and decided on a career in entertainment after attending the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, where he majored in drama (and took great delight in becoming the school's resident class clown, as well as becoming a professional magician).

During the early '80s, Shubert decided though that his heart lay in comedy, and began appearing regularly at comedy clubs around his hometown. But it wasn't until he relocated to California that he began to find success, as he performed at the renowned Comedy Store, and helped write jokes for other comedians, including Yakov Smirnoff, Jimmy Walker, and Louie Anderson. He also befriended the late Sam Kinison, who was so impressed with Shubert's knack for witty standup that he invited him to become a member of his Outlaws of Comedy, a group that toured with Kinison up until his untimely death in 1992.

Shubert has also made three appearances at the Montreal Comedy Festival (from 1995-1998), and he's also launched an acting career on network television, including appearances on such shows as Angel, Rude Awakenings, Once Again, and a recurring role on the hit series ER (he also landed a development deal at FOX.

Jimmy was a Top 10 Finalist in the 2014 Last Comic Standing Contest on NBC.

Jimmy Shubert:
JIMMY SHUBERT
BIOGRAPHY

Jimmy Shubert has built an impressive resume as an actor in both film and television. He is also recognized as one of the busiest comedians working today, headlining comedy clubs and theaters across the country. Now Jimmy is adding the title of Producer to his resume. The actor wrote and executive produced a true labor of love this past year with the short film due for release in 2008, “Alive N’ Kickin,” a companion piece to his hour-long stand-up comedy special.

Jimmy’s scene-stealing performance as the lollipop-sucking strip club bouncer in Columbia Pictures' “Go”, directed by Doug Liman, jumpstarted his film career in 1999. In 2001, he starred in “Velocity Rules,” a short film produced by Brett Ratner and directed by Patty Jenkins (“Monster”), that premiered at the 2001 AFI Film Fest as well as the Telluride Film Festival. He has since landed roles in numerous other films including Jerry Bruckheimer's “Coyote Ugly,” Fox Searchlight Pictures' “One Hour Photo”, starring Robin Williams, “The Italian Job,” starring Charlize Theron, Ed Norton, and Mark Walhberg, and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”, starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. He also recently starred in “Wedding Jimmy,” a short film currently making its rounds on the festival circuit, and in “Cutoff,” a feature starring Amanda Brooks, Faye Dunaway and Malcolm McDowell.

On the small screen, Jimmy just completed filming on the untitled “Cedric the Entertainer” pilot. He had previously brought his comedic skills to the sitcom world with a recurring role (17 episodes), as a character appropriately named Jimmy, on CBS’s “King of Queens” for five seasons. He has also made appearances on such shows as “The Loop” “Entourage,” “Heist,” “ER,” “Monk,” “Reno 911,” “Rude Awakenings,” “Angel,” “Once and Again,” “Lucky,” “New Car Smell,” “Secret Service Guy,” and “Youth In Revolt,” just to name a few.

In September 2004, Jimmy recorded his first half-hour special for Comedy Central at the Hudson Theater in New York City, which received rave reviews from critics and a standing ovation from the discerning New York audience. In addition, he has released two comedy albums, “Animal Instincts” and “Pandemonium,” produced by Grammy-winning producer Dan Schlissel. He donates a portion of the proceeds to "The Joe Casey Jr. Scholarship Fund," in memory of his deceased cousin. He has performed in Canada, Ireland, Korea and in 2006, he performed, alongside Drew Carey, for troops in the Middle East as part of the Defense Department and Armed Forces Entertainment’s “America Supports You” program.

Growing up as the son of a Philadelphia Detective wasn't easy for Jimmy. In fact, he and his band of six brothers were always getting into trouble. Since Jimmy was the middle child, most of his childhood days were spent wearing bloodstained hand-me downs from his older brothers. He attended the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, majoring in Drama. It was from those acting class experiences Jimmy knew he wanted to be an entertainer. Always the class clown and performer, Jimmy performed magic tricks for his friends and family at 9 years of age. By the age of 15, he was an accomplished professional magician. He later channeled that energy into stand-up comedy.
After graduating from high school, Jimmy started performing in comedy clubs all over Philadelphia. He later moved to Los Angeles and started working at the Comedy Store, performing and writing material for comedy acts such as Yakov Smirnoff, Jimmy Walker, Louie Anderson and Andrew "Dice" Clay. It was at the Comedy Store where he met and befriended Sam Kinison, who liked Shubert's cockeyed chutzpah and included him as one of the original "Outlaws of Comedy." Jimmy toured with the “Outlaws” for five years, playing major casinos in Las Vegas and other famed venues, including the Universal Amphitheater, with audiences as large as 6,500 people. In 1997, after an extremely well-received performance at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, he was spotted by the late Brandon Tartikoff, who signed Jimmy to a holding deal to develop and star in a pilot sitcom at 20th Century Fox.

Jimmy's comedy routine is usually performed from an observational point of view, in comedic short-story form, with a spin on poking fun at current events that only Jimmy can bring to the stage. He describes himself as a cross between Denis Leary and Dennis Miller, “his confidence and lucid delivery enhances his humor, making even his most perverse moments hilarious.” (AllMusic.com, 2004)